Alaska's Winter Horizon

Alaska's Winter Horizon

Sunday, March 5, 2017

Totem Bight State Park

Here are a few more pictures of the incredible totem poles found in Totem Bight State Park.
Myths and legends from both the Tlingit and Haida tribes can be found on these poles.
Our ranger said that characters on the Haida poles usually interconnect and overlap.
 The Tlingit poles have characters that are farther apart and appear more rounded.
 I could have studied them all day and never been able to discern the difference.

 All I know is that they were awesome! 
The colors on these were quite interesting. 
Totems of long ago were painted with natural pigments found in salmon eggs, clam shells, lichen, and minerals found nearby. 

Looks like some of them have paint on them.
No, that is not a carved eagle atop this totem. It seems that spot offered the eagle a perfect place to search for food in the nearby waters.

 There are 14 totem poles to view here.
 Many of these poles had been repaired or recreated around 1938 when the U.S. Forest Service used Civilian Conservation Corps funds to hire Native carvers to bring these works back to their glory.
 Thankfully, they salvaged them and created this wonderful park that we can all appreciate. 
This place was already getting green and lush.
 It will be a shock to return to all that snow still on the ground at home!

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